The Story
of Santa Claus takes us back to 280 A.D., when a happy young Christian
couple became the proud parents of a baby boy
they named Nicholas. Coming from
wealthy and noble families, Nicholas' parents instilled their values in their
son. Thus, Nicholas grew up in a household that encouraged kindness, generosity
and prayer. Nicholas grew up to be a pious young man who was most at home
hearing tales of Christian holy men
or sitting in quiet reflection upon the
world around him.

It was no
surprise that, after his parents died of the plague
when he was fourteen,
Nicholas decided that he would give away his wealth to those more needy, in
preference of a more holy and peaceful life. His gifts of premonition, peaceful
humility and need to help the less fortunate became well-known throughout the
land, even more so after he became the Bishop of the City of Myra. Shortly
after becoming Bishop, strange miracles
became associated with Nicholas and,
upon the death of the well-loved religious man, the miracles still took place.
Thus, the eventual title of Saint Nicholas.

The book
goes on to explain how the story of Saint Nicholas was transformed into the tale
of the Santa Claus we know today. Written as if Santa Claus actually exists
(which I, for one, loved), McCullough explains the various images we have seen
of Santa
over the years - smoking or non-smoking, with Rudolph
or without, the
various locations of Santa's home base
and more. He explains the ideas of gift
giving passed down from Saint Nicholas that have made it into the various
cultures touched by his story over the years.

I also loved
the illustrations by Peter Dennis. Whether in black and white or in color, each
was a masterpiece unto itself, depicting the actions of Saint Nicholas and the
iconic Santa Claus that we all know and love.

At only 44
pages total, The Story of Santa Claus is a delightful read, filled with
real information about the man...or men...who inspired the idea of Santa Claus.
I enjoyed the book immensely and would recommend it to any parent who may be
fielding questions about the jolly old elf from their kids.